Category: Coca Cola

Coke is making a diversity play in the Super Bowl this year, albeit with a lighter touch than its spot four years ago that was seen by some as taking a political stance by depicting “America is Beautiful” sung in a variety of languages, from Hindi to Senegalese.

The marketer puts an equal number of diverse faces in this year’s ad for its flagship soda brand, which will run as a 60-second spot in the fourth quarter. But the ad by Wieden & Kennedy Portland, directed by Alma Har’el, will likely draw less of a polarizing reaction than the 2014 spot because it uses an original poem that is more about Coke than anything that could be seen as political. The ad, called “The Wonder of Us,” markets the Cola as suitable for everyone, no matter a drinker’s race, background or beliefs.

The Coke-as-unifier theme might be tough for some viewers to swallow in today’s cynical age, especially as soda brands deal with sales headwinds amid health concerns. But Coke execs say the spot sticks with the brand’s ethos of promoting optimism and inclusion. Indeed, strains of that approach are apparent in a lot of classic Coke advertising, including the “Hilltop” spot in which the brand famously sought to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.

Celebrating diversity and togetherness is “a message that we have communicated over time,” says Brynn Bardacke, VP of content and creative excellence for Coca-Cola North America. “What’s most important to us is that we communicate these values in a ways that are brought to life with some integrity based on the creative creative idea, and less about whether or not those things are going to create divisive talk.”

The business strategy behind this year’s ad is to promote different varieties of Coke for different kinds of people in all kinds of occasions. It underlies an approach Coke has taken in recent years to grow its customer base even as the soda category contracts. Executives have acknowledged that individual Coke buyers might drink less, but argue the brand can still grow by getting more people to try the product. The strategy involves selling smaller package sizes that might contain less liquid but are more profitable on a per-unit basis.

The Super Bowl ad sticks with the so-called “one-brand” strategy introduced in early 2016 under the “Taste the Feeling” campaign that plugs multiple Coke varieties, from regular Coke to Coke Zero, in single ads.

But this year, Coke is putting a new twist on the campaign, adding the line “Enjoy Yours,” which emphasizes customization.

The poem in the spot includes lines like “there’s a Coke for he, and she and her and me, and them.” It was authored by Wieden & Kennedy copywriter Rebecca Wadlinger, who is a graduate of the University of Houston’s PhD program in poetry, according to her website. Coke plans to run a text version of the poem in ads in USA Today and the New York Times. The copy in the print ads include verses displayed using the varying penmanship of employees at Coke and the agency.

Coke plans to plug the spot on social media by interacting with individual users. For instance, each person that clicks the heart symbol on a tweet when Coke posts the ad to Twitter will get a reply. Coke will run a seperate, more playful spot during the Olympics that shows characters on a street mural scaling buildings in search of a Coke. Another ad coming later in the year will promote Coke for tailgate parties.

Coca-Cola Co. is also planning to run a separate spot in Sunday’s game for Diet Coke, which recently began a new campaign promoting new flavors and slim cans. The marketer has run Super Bowl ads for 12 consecutive years.

Coca-Cola’s San Diego-based juice maker, Suja, pushed its mission Monday to the mainstream with its first-ever integrated marketing campaign, “Drink Plants.” The campaign is described on Coca-Cola’s website as a series of short, quirky films ranging in length from six to 90 seconds that show people loving organic plants and produce. The ads end with a cheeky call to action: “Drink plants. Take their power!”

The “Drink Plants” campaign will extend to digital display, social media, “in-gym” displays, outdoor advertising, field marketing and influencer events, according to Coca-Cola. There will also be “wild postings,” which will include a living plant wall and billboards with take-home seed packets.

Greg Rose, Suja’s vice president of marketing, said the brand is trying to be fun, playful and relatable without being “preachy.”

“Our marketing was built on the backs of grassroots efforts like influencer outreach and event sampling, which are still a big part of what we do today,” Rose said on the Coca-Cola website. “We have a solid brand story, but our awareness levels are still relatively low across the country. We hope our new campaign will help to change that.

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The TV advert, which launches next Monday, across TV, online and cinema continues Coca -Cola’s focus on its healthier options.

Coca-Cola is bringing back its ‘First Tastes’ campaign as part of a renewed push for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and a wider focus on its healthier drinks as consumers increasingly opt for lower sugar options and with the introduction of the government’s sugar tax imminent.

The campaign, which will launch on Monday (15 January), will be pushed across TV, online and cinema with supporting activity across out-of-home advertising, digital and PR.

The advert, created by McCann EMEA, is a continuation of the brands ‘First Taste’ idea and features a retiree, Mr Hadley, who is given a Coca-Cola Zero Sugar for the first time, which sparks a chain of new firsts. His adventures include confessing his love to Alice, a long-lost crush, getting a tattoo, attending a Pride Parade and crowd-surfing at a festival.

Aedamar Howlett, marketing director at Coca-Cola Great Britain, says: “The campaign brings to life the concept of those ‘bucket list’ moments that universally resonate with people. We want to build on the success we have had to date reminding people of what makes it so special.”

Coca-Cola rebranded Coke Zero to Coke Zero Sugar in April 2016, and it has had an immediate impact. Coke claims sales are on the up, with Coke Zero Sugar its fastest-growing product.

And according to YouGov BrandIndex, consumer perceptions of Coke Zero Sugar have also increased. Its Index score, which includes metrics such as quality, value and satisfaction, has seen a statistically significant increase since the rebrand from -2.6 in April 2016 to 1.5 in January this year.

Its Quality score has also seen a sharp increase from -1.1 to 2 over the same period.

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Someone tell Santa he’s not necessary this year because Coca-Cola have got Christmas covered, after they announced some very lucky guests will be able to spend the night in their iconic red truck this year.

IT’S A FESTIVE DREAM.

Now that Michael Buble’s come out of hibernation and the John Lewis advert’s been revealed, Christmas 2018 is officially here – made only better by Coca-Cola’s new competition.

The prize gives a pair of festive fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in the ultimate Christmas sleepover – and stay inside the truck on Friday 15th December 2017.

During the sleepover, guests are invited to watch their favourite Christmas films, listen to festive playlists and, of course, drink Coca-Cola to their hearts are content.

They’ll also surrounded by the truck’s 8,772 twinkling fairy lights, be treated to Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and unwrap loaded stockings, before snuggling up in the trucks’ cosy twin beds.

Want to get involved? Coca-Cola are asking hopefuls to visit Laterooms.com and explain on the Coca-Cola listing why they are the ultimate Christmas fan, before midday on 8th December 2017.

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With a growing number of consumers purchasing their groceries online, Coca-Cola is finding more ways to embrace a digital future — and make sure it doesn’t get left in the past.

The maker of Sprite, Fanta and its namesake cola has spent decades developing packaging and retail displays that grab the attention of the consumer in places such as the checkout line and the convenience store. The challenge today is taking this way of thinking and moving it online. To do that, Coca-Cola executives said the company must focus on a two-pronged approach — how the consumer buys an item and the way in which he receives it.

“A big piece of the business is going online, whether that is brick and mortar or whether it’s pure players like Amazon, so not being online means your brands are not being as relevant,” John Carroll, general manager and vice president of e-commerce for Coca-Cola North America, told Food Dive. “We’re following the consumer and where they’re going.”

Kantar Retail estimates e-commerce today comprises just 2% of grocery sales, meaning there is plenty of room left for growth. It’s expected that 20% of all grocery sales, representing around $100 billion, will come from online shoppers by 2025, according to data from the Food Marketing Institute and Nielsen.

This future, and the revenue that comes with it, has attracted the attention of other companies beyond Coca-Cola. Campbell Soup has been bulking up its online business, highlighted by hiring a former Amazon and eBay executive for a newly created role that oversees digital and e-commerce initiatives.

Kellogg is also revamping its business model for e-commerce. The company announced earlier this year it would end direct-store delivery for its snacks division, and instead shift resources and efforts to direct-to-consumer marketing. The manufacturer of Pringles, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-It and Nutri-Grain said during its second quarter that U.S. e-commerce sales grew by 70%, and its global experience suggests it can capture more share through click-and-collect programs than in stores.

“A big piece of the business is going online, whether that is brick and mortar or whether it’s pure players like Amazon, so not being online means your brands are not being as relevant. We’re following the consumer and where they’re going.” John Carroll

General manager and vice president of e-commerce, Coca-Cola North America

Coca-Cola, which thrives on impulse buys, is involved with nearly every way consumers are reallocating their purchasing power. The 131-year old company showcased at its investor day earlier this month how it is pairing its drinks with a meal kit while also demonstrating a voice ordering system that suggests adding a cold Dasani water at the end of the order.

And when a consumer uses a storage locker, the individual can be asked if he wants to buy a drink to go along with the purchase as he gets closer to picking up the order. The beverage can be added within two minutes.